This year, we rented a house on Lyons Lane for the first week of our holiday. It turned out to be full of cool places to explore by paddle. See below for a map of our kayak trip on Longboat Key.
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Setting off North East towards Anna Maria island, we first passed the Sister Keys. This little group of mangrove islands has recently undergone some restoration to attempt to return them to their native state and remove the Australian pines which were taking over. If you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of one of the resident gopher tortoises.
The islands are some of the only ones in the area that are completely uninhabited and it's a very tranquil place to spend some time kayaking. Between the two bigger islands you'll find an inlet with a view over to the city of Sarasota.
Taking care across the busy Intracoastal Waterway, you can cross the bay to the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub. This is one of the 12 oldest surviving structures on Longboat Key and is the perfect place to refuel for the rest of your trip. It has a long wooden deck with plenty of space to leave your kayak or boat. Sit and enjoy the view from the outdoor seating area, or take a look inside at the walls covered in dollar notes.
As you leave the Mar Vista, keep a look out for dolphins in the bay. They seem to like playing around the boats that are moored there. This is a great place to spot dolphins from your kayak. On our last trip we came across this friendly one who stayed around for about 30 mins, giving us lots of photo opportunities!
Keep paddling towards Anna Maria island. You will come across Jewfish Key to your right. This is a fairly large island with a few houses on. The main attraction here is the beautiful sand bar in front of the Key.
Click above to see a video of us kayaking on the sand bar!
Taking care to stay to the left, paddle towards the bridge. There are strong currents going under the central part of the bridge but you will be fine towards the left. As you reach the bridge you'll see another sand bar (known locally as Beer Can Island). At weekends you'll find the locals hanging out in their boats having parties here. Out of season it's a lovely place to get out and have a wander onto the beach.
We got out and cooled off in the sea on the other side of the bridge (take care not to get swept away by the current). If you take a walk round the corner towards the Gulf side beach, you'll find a picturesque spot with uprooted trees that make the perfect foreground for your Florida sunset photos!
In total, the round trip took us a good few hours so this was a good point to turn back. On a calm day you might have the energy left to go back round the other side of Jewfish Key (a member of our party saw a shark swim underneath them here) or take a trip down one of the many canals and look at the beautiful houses.
I'd recommend an Aquapac if you plan to do a lot of kayaking or watersports on your trip. They come in all different sizes to fit most camera or phone models. I've had mine a good few years now and I like knowing my camera is safe even when your kayak starts to fill with water!
If you'd like to see some videos of my kayak trips and manatee encounters, visit my Youtube channel.
By Beth McAllister
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